Water, Fire, You May Say They're Incompatible
by bengirl
Summary: Life is full with adventures. A lot of good things and bad things may happen. Life is like a river, not Sea of Tranquility. People plan things and hope, they will get that and that but they always find that there is twisting and turning. Sometimes people seem even to have forgotten that the hazards of the life can at times cause accidents in spite of all the precautions


**Water, Fire, you may say they're incompatible !**

It was one evening. at the _helm_ of the _ship_ was the handsome and strong Benjamin Cartwright, the First Mate of « The Wanderer". He was looking out over the ocean taking in it's beauty, just enjoying the view. "As a young child, I would fall asleep very late, standing at the helm of my great magic canoe made of birch bark. », Ben used to say. He would never forget the day as the Captain Abel Stoddard had cast his eyes on him for the first time, with his solid experience of sailor men, he had immediately understood that this 16 years old boy had been born for the sea, he had known it, deep inside his heart. That was how young Ben Cartwright had become a sailor.

Now Ben Cartwright was an officer, in fact he was First Mate, but he had never forgotten the day when he had walked the gangplank of one clipper ship for the first time. He had taken a deep big breath and had brushed his wavy black hair with his hand. He had been very excited because of that new position, but at the same time he had been terribly nervous, and his excitement had been tempered by apprehension. He had heard a lot about the "Wanderer's" master, Captain Abel Morgan Stoddard, about his reputation of sternness and being demanding of perfection. But he had quickly discovered that beyond his severity, he was an honorable and fair man.

*****On that day Ben was looking up to the heaven. "Lord...don't mean to bother you again...but send me that strength...please...I'm begging ya...yahhh!" Being in control of himself, Ben started the lecture.  
« I'm a nice guy but don't push me; man. I've never seen a young fellow like you, making so many blunders in a few hours. Each time something goes wrong, Bud, you're responsible for it. Sometimes it would be better if you could close your mouth and put your hands in your pockets, just for a few minutes".

Lieutenant Ben Cartwright had indeed raised his voice at the 13 year old boy who worked for them on the boat. But he knew, he wouldn't fire him. The officer had won the shouting game, the boy had been told off and now it was over. The young fellow named Bud was not a bad one, he was with the Captain since he was 9, he had grown up into a good boy but sometimes he forgot to think and when the men made him drink, it finished bad. That was a problem on board, it has been so serious, that Captain Stoddard had ordered that the daily ration of rum would be diluted with water, Ben, as the First Mate, had had to deliver the new orders. The men called the mixture « grog ». But men still drank a lot and Ben often saw some of them being totally groggy, as they have found a trick. They added spices to make the liquor stronger. For that the men were often sentenced to use the holy stone, they had to scrub the decks of the ship. It was funny because they had to kneel as if in prayer while scrubbing the decks. Ben didn't know if they had often been in a church before, but for sure, they all knew how to kneel.

*****June 1829: "The Wanderer" reached the port of Boston, it was time for the annual in-depth inspection. Life on board could be summed up in one sentence : Exhausting routine punctuated by moment of excitement. Some terrible storms had caused minor damages to the ship. They had less and less victuals. So the call was more than necessary for replenishment. And the men needed a break on solid ground. The Captain would be able to see his daughter, i _n those ten months, he_ _had_ _miss_ _ed_ _her_ _desperately._ Ben Cartwright would supervise the crew working on the ship. They would blast the hulls and repair what needed to. Ben had now enough experience to know a lot about the men : so the crew was typically not allowed to leave the shore most of them used to get into trouble. They often all went and get drunk and some of them did stupid shit and then the captain had to deal with it. So the First Mate had decided to keep the crews passports in a safe for the duration of the trip so no one would go anywhere without them. The boy would stay under supervision. The Captain wanted him to spend the days at his home, so he would be able to keep an eye on him.

*****On that morning, Ben Cartwright had left the ship under supervising of the Second Mate. He had a job to do with the Captain. They had to make a delivery. Mrs Stannwood, a widow, had bought several bottle of cider for the party she had intended to organize.

"What are you doing today, young fellow", Ben asked as he saw Bud.

"I'm gonna make cookies with Sheila".

"it sounds good. But first you know, you have to load the wagon. You know, we have to delivery those bottle.

"yes sir", Bud replied before running towards the back room.

*****Benjamin Cartwright led out the wheel team of horses from the barn. Smoke and Shadow by name, they were big, stout and still young – glossy black with creamy beige noses and long, alert ears. They were thefirst pair of a four-in-hand hitch he was harnessing to the lumber wagon. Their pulling gear shone with polished leather and brass studs. He crossed the yard between them with a hand on each bridle. They snuffled and pranced a little, excited by the nip of fall in the air and the activity around them. They eyed the high, solid lumber wagon suspiciously and balked momentarily when Benjamin positioned them to back along the tongue. He took a moment to pat their stout necks and speak softly but firmly to them.

"Come on you lop eared offspring of the orneriest jack we ever had on the place. Don't get uppity with me; back your butts on in there. Back. Back." Steadied by the familiar, friendly tone and accustomed command, they yielded to the pressure on their bits and backed into place. Horses or men, First Mate Ben Cartwright sure had a solid sense of commandment flowing in his blood.

Ben took hold of the reins and brought the wagon over to the livery while the Captain gave his last instructions to the young fellow:

« Bud, you'll be a good boy and you listen to my daughter and to Sheila, got it ?

-Got it, Captain », the boy replied.

The Captain was sure that Sheila would keep the boy in line. Then the Captain sat down on the bench close to his First Mate:

"So do you know how to drive one of these, Lieutenant?"

"I can drive that," Ben Cartwright replied and climbed onto the wagon. "Come on,!" and soon they were off for the place they had to go.

This mode of transportation was hot, dusty, cramped, bumpy, and rough.

"It would be appreciated if they could pave all the roads, as it would make it easier for traveling. » The streets in Boston were big paved boulevards. But as soon as the City was left behind, wild nature re-appeared. There was no wind, the air was soft and dry and every ten seconds, the wheels were about to be broken because chuckholes, and the Captain was nearly thrown from his seat. Ben grabbed the Captain's arm and commented:

"Captain, I'm sure, you're dearly longing for the comfort of "the Wanderer"

"Yes Sir. Even in the middle of a storm, I've never felt so shaken. And I know, you always prevent us from running aground onto a reef. That's the reason why I trust you on the ship.

« And don't you trust me on this wagon ? » Ben reacted spontaneously.

« I trust you, Sir, I trust you ».

*****The Captain complained about the bottles they had to transport through this hostile environment without being allowed to drink one. Ben told him that there was water behind him. So the Captain turned around, slipped his right hand under the cover and grabbed the water skin. He had just take a sip of water when a new bump onto the road made him jump. He dropped the water skin.

« _Damn it. STOP THE WAGON, the water skin is lost!_ » Ben slowed the wagon to a stop, the Captain jumped down and ran as fast as he could to catch the precious water skin. While he was walking back to the wagon, the explosion sounded. It threw Ben out of his seat. Horrified the Captain was first petrified, then he rushed to the wagon as a second explosion sounded. He protected his face with his arms and stopped. The silence came. He forced himself to wait a few minutes in case it would explode again, then he rushed towards his First Mate.

«Sir? Are you hurt?" the Captain Abel Stoddard yelled, jumping into the ravine where his First Mate had landed after the explosion.

"No, I don't think so, but I've broken my watch", Ben Cartwright answered before putting his hand in his pocket and finding some broken glass.

Ben saw the Captain smiling, when he told him:

"In spite of your nasty fall, Sir, you still have enough energy to be witty."

*****Ben had been thrown out from the wagon by the first explosion, never before had he got down so fast from a wagon, while the second explosion had barely given him time to roll down into the ravine with his hands on his head.

"Sir, could you explain to me what had happened? Is there a reason for that sudden explosion?"

The Captain shook his head.

"Right now, I have no clue. Apparently there was something else in the wagon, bottles full with cider can't do that, even if I've ever seen a bottle explode under pressure. But nothing like that. But I promise you, I'll find about it."

Ben knew that look too well.

"Maybe we'll ask a few questions to Bud. He was the one who loaded the wagon".

*****Ben's face was distorted by pain as he put his hand on his shoulder. Some blood was rolling down onto his face, from a wound on his scalp.

"Let me wipe the blood on your forehead, Lieutenant".

"Thank you sir", Ben replied and raised his hand. The Captain took the blue cloth folded in four out from the pocket of his pants. The handkerchief was quickly covered with blood. He wiped the wound again and tried to have a look at Ben's shoulder.  
" There's something wrong with your shoulder, Sir!"  
"I guess, so. I'm afraid, it's dislocated. Ouch, It hurts. "  
*****The Captain had helped his first officer and now they were both on less uneven ground. Ben lifted his eyes up and gazed towards the track: the wagon had been totally destroyed and one horse was dead. The second had disappeared. "Help me, Captain, please, I would like to remove my shirt. A sling for my arm, that's what I need. I'll manage to climb back up to the track." After a moment of hesitation, the Captain started to unbutton the shirt of his officer and took it off : « I bet, you'd have preferred my daughter to have done it, wouldn't you? ». Ben didn't know who was the most embarrassed, him or the Captain. He had never had his shirt removed by the Captain before. So with the shirt he made a sling that he slipped under Ben's arm, the young officer grimaced in pain.

"Sorry Sir", he whispered.

"Can you turn around, just a little bit, I'm gonna tie it in your back". After Ben got over the initial shock, he began to feel the pain of his wounds much more. Overcome by a sudden feeling of weakness, he leaned against a tree trunk whilst the Captain knotted his sling.

"That should hold?" he said. Ben Cartwright turned his head towards him and with a grateful look thanked him.

" That must really hurt, Sir!"

Ben sighed.

"At least, I'm still in one piece…"

"Yes, you really did a magnificent forward roll, but you didn't come apart".

Ben started to walk, limping slightly.

"Maybe you should rest a little longer!"

A little bit annoyed, Ben turned around quickly towards his Captain:

"Sir, with all the respect I own you. If I feel weak, I'll call you, alright?" Ben got no answer, just a silent look. Looking around, they could only see trees, rocks and the deserted track.

"Somebody will turn up. They've surely heard the explosion. After all we're not far away from the city!" the Captain added.

"Oh sure", Ben replied without taking his eyes off the corpse of their horse. After several minutes, the Captain raised his head and stiffed a curse.

"Something wrong, Sir? Apart from no longer having a horse?"

The Captain didn't say anything, but slowly turned his head.

"Lieutenant; behind us there's a creature who's after us..."

Ben turned pale as he saw the rattlesnake, ready to strike. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Lieutenant, just tell me, you and I are good guys, aren't we? We don't deserve all this, do we? Unless you're not the one I think you are? Tell me Lieutenant, have you done anything to be ashamed of in your life?" The Captain asked. Ben gave him a weary look:

"I was about to ask you the same question, Sir..."

«If we keep our self-control, we can deal with anything », the Captain replied.

« The only thing I can't control right now, is the blood rolling down into my eyes.

"In any case" he said out loud, "we'll have to reconsider our priorities. We're gonna have to take care of this creature. Doesn't look friendly at all.

*****Ben wiped the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand and grimaced once again with pain. Moving his hand reminded him how hurt his shoulder was. He looked at the road and gazed at the sky. The sun was still high up in the sky but would soon go down and the cold night arrive.

«It reminds me of a story that my grandfather once told me. One of his uncles had been bitten by a snake on the tip of his thumb. He had had the courage to cut off his own thumb with a machete, and it had saved his life."  
The Captain swallowed hard and chuckled. Very slowly he moved his finger towards his holster, he furrowed his forehead, staring wide-eyed with concentration. His hand touched his gun. First the Captain had been face to face with the snake, but now the snake was face to face with the canon of the gun. Ben could see the determination in the Captain's eyes, he had no hesitation, he pulled the trigger and shot the gun between its two eyes, well let's say, he shot the snake's head.

"When I was a boy, I saw a dead man. It was in a camp, where lumberjacks were working. A snake had bitten the man's lips, thirty minutes later, he was dead", Ben added whilst congratulating and thanking the Captain.

« Lieutenant, you know, I'm not a coward, but I have to admit, when I see that kind of animal, _I want to crawl out of_ my pants in reverse!"

*****The Captain helped his officer to climb up the slope, he grimaced a lot, but they did manage to reach the track. They started to walk away without looking at the horse's corpse which they had to leave there. Ben could barely hide his anxiety, he gazed at the Captain surreptitiously. Now the sun was beginning to go down, and they both began to be more and more nervous. Minute after minute they kept walking, there was absolutely nobody on the track and it was more and more difficult for him to hide his pain. He was clenching his teeth in order to stay standing up, his shoulder was stabbing with pain. But they forced themselves to go on, hurrying because night was quickly falling. Once again they were concentrating, keeping their eyes on the horizon, hoping they would see something. This time their persistence would be rewarded. they just had seen a big cloud of dust, which could be a man.

"Lieutenant! There!"

Ben lifted his head, he had been trying not to count the minutes, almost in agony because of the excruciating pain in his shoulder and had abstained from thinking, using every bit of strength in his body to stay focused, putting one foot in front of the other, again and again: the right one, then the left, and the same again.  
"I've just seen it: somebody with a wagon."

Ben frowned and had a look in the direction the captain was pointing, he concentrated and watched carefully. Then he saw the wagon and the dust.

"Do you feel strong enough to keep walking", the Captain asked. "Or do you prefer me to get some help?"

"I'll be fine, Sir, don't worry. We'll go on and try to reach that wagon".  
So they started to walk again, cutting through the trees towards the top of the hill. But they both needed to get their breath back when they arrived. they kept walking for a few yards in order to reach the wagon, but suddenly Ben Cartwright tripped over a stone and fell down heavily, he hadn't been able to stop himself falling.  
"Benjamin!", was the only word Ben had heard and he closed his eyes. The Captain had yelled and was now running to help his first mate, who was now lying unconscious on the ground. Feeling helpless, the Captain started to run towards the wagon and yelled:

« Stop please, I need some help". After a few seconds which had seemed longer than hours, the chuck wagon stopped in front of him. A man jumped down. A short skinny thirty-year-old man, with short dark black hair". He started by telling the Captain how he had bought a "mess wagon" after leaving the army. He had worked on it, had put a cask full of water on the side of the wagon and a box with tools. But the Captain stopped him:

"My Lieutenant is hurt and he has just fallen, he's unconscious. We tried our best and kept walking. We live close to here, I'm Captain Abel Stoddard aboard The Wanderer." The guy bent down and gazed at Ben.  
"What's wrong with him?" The stranger inspected the wound and lightly touched the injured shoulder. It made Ben react, he seemed to murmur a protest but didn't manage to regain consciousness.

"He has a wound on his head, but I'm afraid, there's something wrong with his shoulder. It's dislocated. We have to do something, the more we wait the more it will be difficult to do. We have to put the bone back into its place". The Captain looked at the man who was talking, he seemed to be so sure of himself, such an expert.  
"How do you know all that?"

"I had worked as a nurse for years while I was in the Spanish army. I'm now free from my responsibilities but I haven't got out of practice. But I'll need your help".

He told the Captain what to do and how he should hold his officer, while he would take care of the operation on his shoulder.  
«It's better to do that while he's still unconscious. The pain will surely wake him up, do you understand?»

The Captain managed to keep his eyes on his lieutenant while holding him firmly. The man made a swift gesture, quickly manipulating his shoulder, Ben shouted out and let his head fall down to one side. The man nodded:  
«That's it, everything will be fine. The bone is back in place. It was easy."

For a while the Captain couldn't help asking himself whether his sailor man would have said the same thing.

«So now, he needs a good night's sleep", the man added.

He rubbed Ben's hands talking to him with a firm gentle voice. The Captain was overwhelmed to see his lieutenant gradually regaining consciousness. He was so relieved that he had to restrain himself from grabbing the guy in order to hug him to show his gratitude.

«Sir! How do you feel?

Ben, confused, looked at his officer, then he turned his eyes towards the man, close to him. They exchanged smiles, full of kindness and gratitude.

"Welcome back, Mister. Can you stand up? We'll help you to go to my wagon."

Ben nodded, in fact he didn't understand what had been said.

"What's your name?"

"Name is Michael, Sir; you should be in bed, to have rest. Don't worry, we'll help you. But we'll need you to help us too, if you can."

Ben closed his eyes, gathered his strength and nodded. The two men helped him to stand up. He protested, trying to hold his shoulder against his chest and not to move it.

"I can see how painful it is, it will be painful for a few days, but you'll be fine. And you'll recover quickly from the wound on your head. Nothing's too serious. We'll take care of it as soon as we reach your place.  
Ben, puzzled, looked at the Captain.

"Sir, How could you find a doctor in the middle of nowhere?"

The Captain didn't answer, he just smiled. Ben started to walk but had to use all his willpower to continue, because he almost fainted several times during the short walk towards the wagon. He didn't like to feel weak, to be carried by his son and by that stranger who had an unusual name. But he managed to walk to the wagon.

*****in the town. Young Elizabeth, worried, took out her pocket watch and looked at the face of her friend.

« It's still ten o'clock, Miss, » the young servant said from her seat by the fireplace where she was doing embroider. « Just like it was when you checked thirty seconds ago. »

Elizabeth Stoddard sighed heavily. « Where is my father ? Where are they ? They shouldn't be out this late. » She cast her gaze at the young girl who was keeping her company « And don't think I haven't noticed you looking at the door every minute too. »

Sheila quirked a smile. « I guess I'm as worried as you are, Miss. »

It had only been two weeks since her father and the young officer Benjamin Cartwright days had called in at the port. Since then they had been very busy, disappearing for hours at a time, sometimes only turning up for meals before leaving again like shadows. Elizabeth was used to that kind of life, but this was the first time they had missed a meal.

« Should I go look for them, Miss ? »

Elizabeth shook her head. « we won't know where to start. Besides, it's no use looking in the dark, if they'll still missing at dawn I'll go to the harbor office and they'll help us ».

Sheila was cut off by the door's house opening, she saw Captain Abel Stoddard and another man, both were helping Benjamin Cartwright.

"Oh no, Father. What happened? Is it serious? Come here. Lie him down, here." Elizabeth exclaimed, pointing to the settee. Then she disappeared into the kitchen. They put him on the sofa. Sheila brought cold cloths, and Elizabeth held a jar of smelling salts close under his nose. He came awake with a cough, a deep groan and a strangled curse, struggling to roll off of his injured side. He looked up at the worried faces of the people gathered around him and would have laughed at their harried expressions if he hadn't hurt so much. His right hip and thigh throbbed with every heartbeat. The pain was acute and relentless, much like a deep burn, and his shoulder ached. A thin stream of blood trickled from a graze on his cheek.

"Sheila, please, go get the doctor, quick", she asked with a non-calm voice. Sheila stood up, and left immediately.

*****The Captain wanted to talk with the young boy, but assuming that he surely was asleep, he decided to postpone the discussion. He introduce the man to his daughter:

"Honey, I want you to meet Michael, he took care of Benjamin", he explained. "Honey, Can you prepare something for us to eat". Elizabeth nodded and went to the kitchen  
******a few seconds later  
«Benjamin, how do you feel?" Elizabeth asked and put a clean dressing on the forehead of the young officer, who was becoming less pale.

"I can smell soup, oh dear, it smells very good. I can tell you, that my stomach is fine, not like my shoulder. That means, I can eat."

"all right. But stay here, I'll bring you something to eat. But after that, I'll prepare a herbal tea, it make you feel better."  
Michael joined the Captain and his daughter at the dinner table. While they were savoring the soup, they told her about the adventure they had had.  
« Michael, you may spend the night here. We have a room ready for you. I'll never thank you enough for what you did...", Elizabeth added with relief on her face.

Then she stood up and went to the kitchen. She poured hot water in a cup, added some dry herbal tea and brought it for Ben.

«The taste is special, but that will stop the pain. »

Ben blew onto the hot drink and took a sip, he immediately grimaced.

« It doesn't taste very good, I agree with you. But it will help you to relax and you'll sleep well. Tomorrow you'll feel better. »

*****Elizabeth opened the door of one bedroom, while the Captain and Michael were supporting the young injured officer, who was still a little bit dizzy and very tired.

« Don't try to resist, Benjamin," Elizabeth said while she was helping him to lie down.  
*****Ben Cartwright was awakened a few hours later by the pain in his shoulder. He couldn't help grimacing. He opened one eye, there was a small spurt of light coming through the window. It was still dark but he could distinguish the silhouette of Elizabeth, she was sitting on the chair.

"Benjamin, you're in pain?"

He nodded. He started eyeing her tenderly, he was troubled. She turned over close to him. Ben moved his valid arm and lightly touched her hand. He closed his eyes and kissed the palm of her hand. She smiled at him.

«Your skin is so soft, and seeing you distracts me from the pain", he whispered, disturbing the silence of the night. But then Elizabeth stood up. She mixed a dose of the powders the doctor had left, and Ben drank it down swiftly, trying hard not to let it touch his tongue. He shivered at its bitterness. "Gaah, that's awful." He let his head rest against the pillows and closed his eyes. _If the damned stuff would only work fast_ he thought for himself _._ Elizabeth said a soft good night and turned out the lamp. The maligned potion did its work; the pain eased gradually; sleep came. She left the room. She had told him, she wasn't allowed to stay so long with him alone in the room, without her father or the doctor being there. They weren't even engaged.

*******Early on morning. As the Captain wanted to understand why the wagon had exploded, for no apparent reason, so he knocked at the door of the young fellow in order to get some explanations. The Captain came to the conclusion that the boy had taken some bottles full with nitroglycerin. It was an accident but as he hadn't paid any attention to what was written on the bottle, this carelessness had almost killed a man. The Captain had decided that consequences would be applied.

*****The Captain went downstairs and settled into his chair by the fire. Sheila and Elizabeth were setting the table for breakfast.  
"Are you all right?" Elizabeth asked.  
"Yes, I hated to discipline the boy like that, but he needs to learn he just can't be so irresponsible and neglect things, the consequences could have been disastrous." He replied nonchalantly as he poured himself a cup of coffee _._ turning the events over in his mind.

« I can't allow him to act this way without punishment. » he said.

After breakfast the Captain left the house, he had to go to the harbor-offices in order to give orders to his Second Mate as his First Officer couldn't do any hard work. Miss Stoddard and Sheila prepared breakfast for Ben and for the young fellow, who was restricted in his room.

*****Ben woke up with a start when someone laid a hand upon his bare shoulder. His eyes snapped open to see the concerned face of Elizabeth Stoddard hovering over him.

"Hey," she whispered. "How're you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday »

She smiled at him and reached him a cup of hot water.  
"Oh, not that Herbal tea again", Ben protested. He drank it unwillingly, but not the whole cup. He wasn't able to say which one had the most awful taste: herbal tea or the powder.

"You know, it's the only thing to ease the pain, enabling you to have a few hours sleep and rest."  
She came closer and caressed the cheek of the young officer. Under the glow of the soft light of the candle dancing in the room, Elizabeth's eyes turned an incredible color, she was charming and Ben Cartwright was captivated. He ran the tip of his finger along the line of her eyebrows, her nose, her mouth and her chin.

"May I kiss you, Miss Stoddard", he asked politely, with an amused smile. She nodded, abandoned herself; closing her eyes. Ben's lips delicately touched hers. It was a sweet moment.

***** Ben Cartwright was laying in his bed, unable to do anything with his sore shoulder and his head, which still made him a little bit dizzy. He was tried to concentrate on one book but with no big success. The young fellow saw, that the First Mate had gestured him, he was allowed to come in.

"Are you sure, Sir? Aren't you mad at me ?" Bud was anxious. Ben smiled at him and shook his head.

"No, I'm not mad at you. Beside, the Captain dusted your backside. So all is forgotten, as you've been punished for what you did. You sure was taught a good lesson. But now, don't allow guilt or bitterness to cloud your day boy. We start fresh, got it?"

The boy nodded.

"I know, you didn't do it on purpose. Or else, you'd felt the real effect of one explosion on your pants. Believe me!" And then Ben started ruffling the boy's hair.

"I did wrong, and I promise, I'm gonna stop fooling around. The Captain told me, I had to be more "conciscious", or something like that ! It sure is a very long and difficult word, but I've got the meaning of it. I'll pay more attention and I won't risk anybody's life anymore."Ben was touched by the remorseful boy.

"the word is conscientious. As you had been ordered to take care of me, I'm gonna teach you how to play checkers, but we won't stop the other lessons." Ben wanted the boy to have a good education.

"First thing, you'll write the word and you'll learn how to spell it, got it?"

The boy nodded and went back to his book.

*****It was time for lunch. Elizabeth uncovered a thick mug of rich broth and a chunk of coarse brown bread to soak in it.

"I'm not really hungry," Benjamin told her, but then sniffed appreciatively as the aroma of chicken touched with rosemary reached him.

"You eat or I feed," Elizabeth said with a sweet smile but a firm ton of voice. Ben reached out slowly and took the cup, broke off a corner of the bread and soaked it in the broth. Ten minutes later he had consumed it all. Nodding once in satisfaction, Elizabeth shook his head and asked:

"Are you angry, Benjamin?

He shook his head.

"no, I'm not".

"Do you agree to read for me, Benjamin? Ben nodded and smiled. He reached a paper out of the drawer of his night table. He unfolded it and started to read.

"…. Suddenly I understand that I am happy, I, as the timid suitor. » Ben whispered the last word he was reading.

"You wrote me a poem," she said, her voice shaky." It's beautiful and it brought me to tears.»

Ben kissed her on the forehead and she left the room.

"good night, Benjamin, and thank you for the poem".

She had been so deeply touched by his warm voice, he had put something special in her heart which wasn't about to desert it.

She knew deep in her heart, that a lovely story was about to be written. She had read in his eyes all the love he had for her and she had felt so good. Her lips had been given one sweet kiss and she knew the meaning of such a kiss. He was in love with her and she knew, that she loved him too. It wasn't written in any book, this story hadn't been written yet but she knew, they would write it. He had such a physical presence, his rich deep voice made her shiver, and when he looked at her, she could feel her heart beating so fast.

*****after breakfast. Michael was given a warm send-off.

"Michael, good luck on your journey. I hope you find what you are looking for as you travel around the country and meet new friends and find your land. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you wanting to pursue your dream; doing so is such a great experience. I'm sure you will never regret it."

Michael left them, he wanted to go on his travel towards west. He had a very long _journey_ to start." Ben shook Michael's hand for a long moment

"Michael, I'll never forget, that you saved my life. Good luck on your journey. I hope you find what you are looking for as you travel around the country and meet new friends and find your land. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you wanting to pursue your dream; doing so is such a great experience. I'm sure you will never regret it."

Michael had hugged Ben Cartwright and had left. Ben had watched his new friend until he had disappeared from view.

*****a few minutes after.  
"Good morning Mr Cartwright. How are you today?" Dr Charles Mac wood was welcomed into the house:

"I'm fine Doctor. Your medicine helped a lot. Pain is much bearable now."

"I'm glad. But I want to examine you again, Mr Cartwright."

Oh no, please." the 21 year old officer protested.

"Lieutenant!" Abel Stoddard bellowed. "That's quite enough."

"But Sir; I'm fine now, Why can't I drive the wagon to town?"

"I am well aware of how you are, but it takes more than a few hours to recover from such an injury, the kind you had. You have a severe concussion and Doc Mac wood wants you to take it easy."

"I'm fine, Sir and I've worked in worse conditions." Ben argued.

The Captain cringed.

«You could have been killed. So now, no more discussion. I said no and that should be enough for you, young man. I know, you're allowed to give out the orders to his ship mates, I've always trusted you, Lieutenant, but trust me too. You need to rest. I count on you, but I need you to be at the top. »

"For the last time, I'm fine, Sir." Benjamin protested louder.

I will not accept…'I'm fine Sir ' this time! It's an order. Go back to bed and get some sleep.

"So ! You don't think of me as an adult! You don't respect me or my opinions! I'm an officer, Sir, the First Mate on your ship. » Ben shouted not able to control his frustration.

\- Yes you are. Because I trust you, you're a good officer. But I'm still your Captain, and I expect you to obey me!

Captain Abel Stoddard spoke in a ton that was not to be defied.

"Stay here and recover quick. It's the order I'm giving you." The Captain waited for his young officer's next move. « Now please go rest like the doctor asked. And please, Lieutenant, if you don't do that for me, do it for my daughter"

Ben Cartwright sighed then answered, "Yes sir."

*****Ben sat in his chair and pulled out an old newspaper to see what had been going on while they had been on the sea.

« $ 5,000 Reward. On March 19, 1831 « Bank robbery, $245,000 was taken from the City Bank in New York. » Ben started to read more about the articles and shared the news with the young Bud. It was written that 200 Spanish Doubloons had been stolen too.

« Sir, what's a doubloon ? » the boy asked after having heard the end of the news.

« Why don't you just take a pencil and some _paper_ ?Then I'll give you the glossary and you'll look for the definition of the word. That will be a good exercise for you.

*****28 years **LATER – PONDEROSA RANCH, NEVADA**

Adam was in town. His father wanted him to pick up the mail. He took the letters and walked towards the new house which had opened last month in Virginia City. It was a restaurant run by a young couple, Percival Dalton and his wife Nellie; from Walnut Grown, Minnesota. Adam had known them in New York, as he had made a trip in this town. They had been set up in New York, as Percival had been born there. His father had died and Percival was relied upon to continue the business. Adam and Percival had become friends and Adam had had no troubles persuading them to come back to west. So they were now starting a new life in Virginia City.

*****Adam came riding into the front yard, jumped off his horse and ran into the house. "Everyone we got one letter, letter from Mexico." The other members of the household came to see what he had brought from town.

"Here Pa, ! »

Ben was surprised to see one of the letters he received was from a so distant part of the country.

 _« Dear_ _Ben_ _. I know it has been only a short time since we'_ _ve first met_ _. I hope you_ _have a solid memory of the past, I do have one._ _I'm called now Don Miguel but you maybe remember me as Michael. I was the one who took care of you when you've been injured. You were with a Captain, Stobart, or something like that. I don't remember him very well, but I sure remember of your dislocated shoulder._ _I've planned a long trip to meet the future husband of my eldest daughter, that would be my pleasure to meet you and your sons. I'm very impatient to see you again._ _Kind regards. Don Miguel »_

Ben smiled big and shook his head. For sure that was an unexpected letter and a one which was bringing joy and lovely memories.

*****Ben sat down at his desk. He took a quill, dipped it in some ink and started writing. _"Dear_ _Michael_ _,_ _or do I have to write Miguel. It's strange for me to call you Miguel, as I have so vivid memories of you as being called Michael. Never mind. Changing your name won't change the man you are, the man I've met._ _We haven't spoken_ _since we've first met._ _I_ _had_ _no idea_ _where you were and what you was doing_ _._ _I'm so delighted, you contacted me. There was an entire world between us, your dream carried you, as mine carried me. In your letter you wrote about you being a father of two daughters. Let me tell you about my family. I have three boys and I raised them alone, just like you. The difference is that my boys are half-brother as I was married three times. My first wife, well, you know her, it was Elizabeth Stoddard, the Captain's daughter. She gave me a son, Adam, but she died a few hours after. When my baby was older, I left Boston to travel towards west in order to find land to build a ranch. While heading west, I was married to Inger, a native of Sweden. She was the mother of my second son, Eric, who was nicknamed "Hoss" from birth. Weeks after, during a Native American attack, Inger was shot by an arrow while trying to defend the group by taking a dead man's gun and shooting. When Adam was at least twelve and Hoss was around six years old, I married Marie, a French American from New Orleans. Marie gave birth to my third and final son, Joseph, who was known as "Little Joe". Marie, however, was killed in a horse accident when Little Joe was less than five years old. »_

Ben finished the letter, he folded the _letter_ , placed it in an _envelope_ , addressed it, and sealed it. He stood up, walked to the door, grabbed his hat, his jacket and his gun belt and marched towards the barn. He saddled Buck and left the ranch, direction Virginia City.

*****a few weeks later. Busy cleaning out the barn, Joe didn't even notice the horse that rode into the yard of the Ponderosa. It wasn't until he finished up and started back for the house that he was aware of the arrival of the visitor

"Hi, Little Joe, your pa's home ? I've got a telegram for you.

"oh, you have ?" Joe greeted him with a smile.

"To Ben Cartwright. Arrive tomorrow. Virginia City. Will stay for a couple of day."  
*****Ben left the ranch and could hear the whining of the stallions they had brought the day before. He walked straight ahead towards the barn, the morning dawn hadn't broken yet. Ben was a powerfully determined man. This morning he had quietly left his bed, he had walked towards the drawers to take his clothes that he had prepared the night before. He walked towards the kitchen, Hop Sing was not here. Ben opened the door and went on the porch. As he saw the misty plain he was speechless and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air; from that April morning, Springtime was well present. He wanted all the chores to be done before the whole family would go to Virginia City. The day before he had allocated all the chores which had to be done outside and inside the ranch. Right now the boys were helping Hop Sing.

*****in town. As the stagecoach thundered into Virginia City Don Miguel Cartwright leaned forward in his seat, eager to see his friend. He had been so surprised when his letter had got an answer. The day he had asked about a Ben Cartwright, he had got that incredible answer "of course we know Ben Cartwright, from the Ponderosa ranch". A lot of things had changed, for sure, for both of them. Michael had become Don Miguel and Ben Cartwright had stopped being a sailor.

******As Don Miguel and his daughters exited the stage, they were greeted by Ben and his sons. Margarita, the oldest daughter, immediately insulted everyone, including treating Joe and Hoss as hired hands and saying the boys looked disreputable. The younger daughter, Elena, was immediately set upon by two young Mexicans who had followed her to Nevada in hopes of winning her hand.

*****Don Miguel whispered to his daughter, grabbing her by the arm.

"Margarita, that was just plain rude! " Don Miguel wished, he could have had another tone of voice, more severe. But he just didn't know what to do with his daughter. Margarita just smiled at him.

"You didn't speak very nicely to Adam and his brothers. Let me remind you: "The Golden Rule states that if you have nothing nice to say that you should not say anything at all. This rule reminds people to speak kindly to others. »

But Margarita seemed to not care about the scolding.

*****The sound of a carriage entering the front yard deturnedHop Sing from the potatoes in front of him. He went to the door, opened it and walked outside in order to welcome Mr Cartwright and their guests. Don Miguel and his daughters were on their way to California to meet Margarita's future suitor, they intended to spend just a few days at the Ponderosa. So they didn't hat a lot of luggage. Ben showed them where they would sleep and let them , before going back to the kitchen, where Hop Sing needed some help with groceries which they had brought back from town.

45 minutes later, Adam knocked at the door. Don Miguel was still unpacking his bags.

"Excuse me Sir, would you like to have a brandy with Pa and me? You sure need to relax from that long trip."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Adam." Don Miguel grinned and the two of them headed off downstairs, opened the door and walked towards the porch, close to the door.

***********Ben poured the amber liquor into three small glasses on a silver tray. Don Miguel reached in his pocket and pulled out the package."Ben, there is also something I would like to give you. That will be a memory of the day we've first met. I wish, I could have given it to you sooner, but life made us walk on different ways. So today, after having been delayed with destiny, it's time for me to give that to you. »

Ben opened the package and pulled out a brand new pocket watch. "Miguel, I don't know what to say. Ben's eyes teared up, he cleared his throat embarrassed. « It's beautiful...thank you »

"Well, you know a man's gotta have a proper watch for church on Sundays." Don Miguel replied with teasing in his voice, trying to hide his emotions. Ben pulled Don Miguel into an embrace.

« Thank you, thank you so much ».

"It's okay, my friend" Don Miguel patted him on the back and released him from the hug.

*****Suddenly a bang followed by some thrashing noises disturbed their pleasant reunion.

« Margarita, Margarita, always the same Pardon me. » Don Miguel moved back his chair and stoop up before walking in the ranch. Ben and Adam looked at him, puzzled. A second crash made Ben react. He didn't really want to interfere, but his good China had to be saved. He stood up and walked to the ranch, followed by Adam. Both of them were now close to the door, which was still open. As Margarita grabbed the guitar and lifted it in the air above Carlos's head, Adam couldn't refrained himself and walked towards her. He took his guitar firmly.  
'NOT TODAY », he roared. He got no answer but a solid punch in the stomach. He glanced at her, with very dark eyes, sure he was mad. She stepped back, something she hadn't done before. She didn't expect that, she had never seen such an angry face before.

Ben stood petrified for a few seconds and raised his voice, trying to stop his son. Oh boy, he was fearing what his son was about to do. He had never seen his son so angry at a woman before and in the heat of the moment, he was letting his anger take control over his common sense. Ben's fears were confirmed as Adam's hand came down, hard.

*****And now he was sitting on the edge of the settee, with his arms folded. The young senorita was terribly outraged, but for time in her whole life, speechless. She sure was shocked. Her face was as white as a sheet, But a few seconds after, she felt herself blush, the _heat_ radiating from her cheeks. And that feeling of heat didn't emanate from the fireplace as there was no fire in the imposing fireplace behind her, there had been fire in her a few seconds before as she had intended to break the guitar. She turned her back and walked the stairs up. Adam didn't unfold his arms, still firmly standing on the ground, breathing slowly and deeply, waiting for the fire in his right hand to stop. He just winked to Don Miguel, who was now surprised that his daughter had been silenced this time.

*****The pace of the ranch had settled down for the evening as a spectacular sunset edged the western sky. Streaks of brilliant orange and yellow reflected off the thin clouds signaling an end to another hectic day at the ranch. The grandfather clock rang, signaling 9 o'clock. Ben left the corner of the room, he had filled two glasses, he came back to his friend and sat in his red chair. He picked up one glass and reached it to Don Miguel.  
"To fatherhood," Ben said, lifting the glass high. They clinked them together and Don Miguel took a sip.  
"What _is_ this?" he asked as he tried to identify a foreign flavor.  
"My own specialty…I call it « bourdmaker potion » Ben replied with amusement in his voice. »  
« hot apple cider with just a splash of brandy ". Both of them shared a laugh as the memory of the explosion emerged again in their mind.

« Well, more seriously, Ben, I surely blame myself for what your son had to do, Ben. It was my duty as a father to discipline Margarita. I've never managed to stand up to her when she had one of tantrums. I'm an inoffensive father. » Don Miguel replied, bringing his cigar to his lips, setting the fire at the end and inhaling. Ben mentally saluted the foresight of his friend, as it was exactly what he would have said, if Don Miguel hadn't brought the subject into the discussion.

« You and I had to be both father and mother to our children. » Ben added. « but as I've never raised any daughter, I don't know, if I would have been so stern as I was with the boys ».

*****"Care for a game of chess?"

Ben smiled at Don Miguel. "I most certainly would."

"I must warn you...I haven't lost a game...in well... it's been so long I can't remember."

"Well now... I have been known to win a game or two myself on occasion."

Don Miguel grinned. "Black or white?"

**********The day started sunny and warm with the promise of it heating up by mid- day. Hoss and Joe left to start the myriad of chores that needed to be attended to. Carlos and Manuel looked at Elena and turned their head towards Ben Cartwright.

« Excuse-me, Sir, do you have some eggs », Carlos asked politely, seconded by Manuel.  
« yes Sir, in fact, we could use five or six eggs ».

Ben looked at them with skepticism.

« eggs, for what ? Are you hungry ? Well let see if our cook Hop Sing might do something for…. » but he was interrupted by Carlos.

« oh no, Sir, we're not hungry. Well, we would like to practice.

« what a surprising amusement. Is it a customary of your country, fellow ? » Ben asked, puzzled.

« no, we would like to make an impression on Elena. Like a demonstration of our agility... »

Ben suppressed a smile, he wasn't sure that two gentlemen covered with eggs would find favor with the lovely young senorita. Both of them, busy fighting each other for the honor of doing something for Elena in hope that she would choose, it was so ridiculous. Nothing seemed impossible to them.

***** Everybody was upstairs in their room. The two suitors hadn't been allowed to have a room into the ranch, so Ben had given them a bed in the bunkhouse. The four men, who were working permanently for the Cartwright, would spend the night in the barn.

« Tequila shots? » Manuel asked, opening different cabinets in the kitchen and grabbing two shot glasses, salt, a lemon and the bottle of tequila. Manuel chopped the lemon into four pieces and setting them on a plate. Carlos and Manuel left the room and went out.

*****In the bunkhouse, Carlos briefly licked the skin between his thumb and forefinger. He sprinkled a small pinch of salt onto the area. He held one slice of lime with his thumb and index finger, using the same hand that contained the salt. Then he breathed out, licked the salt, knocked the tequila as if it was lemonade and bite the lime.

********the morning after.

Adam hurried towards the barn, with Hoss and Joe following behind.

"Caaaaaaaaaarlos, Maaaaaaaaaanuel!" Adam called, « Are you in the barn ?" As they neared the bunkhouse, they could hear loud noises. Carlos and Manuel sounded like two cats in heat !

The Cartwright boys stood looking at the two Mexican fellows, the now empty bottle of tequila lying on their side. They were drunk! Hoss pushed them with the tip of his boots. They groaned.

"What are you doing up? And how much tequila did you drink?"Hoss asked.

Carlos looked down at the empty bottle in thought. "'S just one bottle, Senor Cartwright," Manuel say with a giggle and a hiccup.

Joe chuckle a little at their inebriated state. "Apparently you didn't hold the liquor very well."

*****in the kitchen. Ben gave them two big glasses, which he had filled with a strange mixture.

« Drink this , this is a perfect drink after a hangover. Honey + pickle juice. Believe me, as an ancient sailor, I know exactly what you need. » Ben told them and slapped them on the back.

They managed to swallow the drink, after all, they were too gentlemen to vomit in front of an ex-officer. After that terrible night, they would have slept for two days if only Ben and Adam would have let them do that. The Cartwright made them work, chopping wood should allow them to show their manhood. It was Adam's idea, he had managed to persuade them that Elena would be very impressed. And she had been indeed.

*****Margarita yelled at Joe, her face red with anger. With a quick turn, she walked to the front door, just as they all came in : Carlos, Manuel, Elena AND Adam. She pushed them aside and went out. Adam reached his broken guitar to his father and walked fast towards the door.  
« Adam, ADAM , what are you doing to do ? » Ben asked, anxiously

But Adam didn't stop. He opened the door violently and went out to deal with Margarita.

*****Margarita's stomach began doing flip flops. She saw the anger etched on his face Adam grabbed her by her upper arm.

« Why did you do that ? Was it revenge for yesterday ?

"No. I, I didn't think about it, I…..," said Margarita. Adam's eyes bore into her like two piercing daggers. « I ….. I was angry at your brothers. »

This answer made Adam more furious. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply in effort to release some of the tension that he felt.

"You were mad at Hoss and Joe ? Now that's funny. What reason did you have to be mad at them ?" he asked sarcastically. The expression on his face was one you didn't mess with.

« I promise, Adam. I just wanted to teach your brother Hoss how to play guitar. And then, your young brother started to laugh and that made me angry ».

« And you did that, didn't you ? You smashed my guitar on my brother's head ».  
She nodded.

« That guitar meant so much to me. It will never be repaired. You had no right to do that, Senorita. You're gonna pay for it » She suddenly went pale.« How ? » She started to feel nervous.

« You will learn to control that temper of you ».

Speaking about controlling a temper, Adam sure was taking a hold on himself to stay calm, because Margarita was getting on his nerves. She had never been resisted, it was a difficult task to set her straight without exploding.

« can you wash a plate ? » Adam asked.

« I've never tried »she replied sharply.

« that means, you can't. So they will show you and you'll learn.

Then she exploded and yelled at him :

« I wasn't raised in a kitchen, we have servants, and let me remind you, Sir, our servants are better than you're . They used to take care of our needs.» Adam was getting more red faced with every word out of her mouth and stood up. He was thinking about his words the day before, accepting to try to tame her would have meant « smacking her every time she's bad, which is most of the time ». He caught a hold on her shoulder , at this moment he was fighting so hard for control of his temper :

« I'm not a servant, and I won't let you insult me. Let me remind you that I'm perfectly able to take care of your NEED. » The threat silenced her. Adam Cartwright had proved previously, he had no qualms of conscience about smacking her. But at this instant, he knew, he wouldn't spank her, he'd got a better idea.

*****Adam was in the _barn_ grooming a beautiful red _horse_ with a white blaze. _Ben_ smiled and looked at _Adam._

«Son, are you sure, it will work ? Ben asked.

« It will, Pa, I promise, it will. Percival told me that he had been paid a lot of money to teach her , and she did more than making an attempt. He tried to teach her , how to separate eggs. As she showed an evident lack of good will he picked _the bowl of egg yolks and broken eggs and pour_ _ed_ _them over Nellie's head. Nellie's mouth pops open_ _ed_ _in absolute shock_. He also has a very short temper. And now they're married. » Adam concluded his story by winking at his father.

*****a few minutes after Margarita was driven to town in order to start working with Nelly and Percival Dalton. Adam was especially proud of having that idea. He had met Percival in New York and he had told him how he had managed to moderate the horrible temper of his young wife and to train her to take over their restaurant. Margarita was expected to do her share of labor in the restaurant, and the money she would get would be for paying another guitar for Adam. Fair division of labor and honest work should teach her about controlling her temper ».

*****So Adam continued to work to teach the beautiful, hot-tempered maiden to be sweet, gentile and demur. And as a matter of fact, there wasn't anymore question of Margarita's caprices, no more explosions in the Ponderosa, he was totally successful.

The day came when Margarita had finished her trial period. She had been given her money and she immediately gave it to Adam.

« That will pay for the new guitar ». Adam thanked her and congratulated her. He was proud of her because she had completely applied all the lessons he had taught her.

« gracias Senior, I regret my rudeness to you. » She whispered to him, her face illuminated with joy.

***** Don Luis surprised everyone by coming to the Ponderosa, anxious to see the wonderful woman of fire that he had heard so much about. When he met the now reasonable Margarita, Don Luis was disappointed and Adam realized he had made a terrible mistake in taming the young woman. Unfortunately, he had been too successful. When the Cartwrights, and their guests went on a picnic close to the lake, Adam tried to undo his handiwork. He tried to get Margarita to argue, he pushed and pushed to make her lose her temper, but he had done his work too well. Margarita continued to act as a sweet, biddable woman, to the disgust of Don Luis. In desperation, Adam pushed Don Luis into the lake. That ignited the spark, and Margarita exploded. She tried to swing at him and he had no other choice than holding her head in order to avoid the blows. Then she yelled at the poor Luis, who was still standing into the water. Don Luis was both amused and enamored by her and immediately asked her to marry him. Margarita was surprised, then pleased that Don Luis loved her real personality and she agreed to marry him.

*****a year later. Life went on on the Ponderosa, with cattle to be taken care, all the chores, plus the ranch , which had to be maintained. Today the chimney had to be cleaned. Soot was caused by wood, in the fireplace and was the main cause of chimney fires. Ben and his sons had seen it so many times, when there had been an excess buildup of creosote in the chimney and the temperature had risen, the soot had been ignited and fire had been started inside the chimney. Very often they had the chimney cleaned, they used to do it at the end of the Summer, as animals sometimes built nests in the flue. As the winters were mostly hard, they had to burn a lot of wood to warm the house, and the chimney had to be cleaned. While Adam was taking a first look at the chimney shaft, his elbow hit the side of the chimney sending a pile of ash and soot into his face and eyes. He started rubbing the soot out of his eyes. No matter how much he rubbed his eyes, he wasn't able to remove it properly.

"Is there something wrong, Adam?"said a voice that Adam was very familiar with. He glanced over his shoulder, his father was standing against the door with his arms crossed.

Adam replied:

"Nothing I can't handle, pa! »

And he wiped away a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead with his soot-covered arm.

*****It was 5 in the afternoon when he finished cleaning the fireplace. He stood up and stretched his muscles.

"thanks, Adam, you did a very good job, but it left you covered in soot »Ben said, patting the back of his son.

"An exhausting day should be finished with a nice warm bath", he exclaimed. Ben knew his son had deserved that and he asked for Hop Sing to warm some water. Adam grabbed a bucket and headed for the water pump in order to refill it. Then he started heating water for a nice long bath, a bath he had been looking forward to since he had started to work. The water was boiling, he pulled one of the pots of boiling water off the stove and went into the bedroom, where the tub was set up , then came back for the second pot of water. He poured cold water into the tub, then he started undoing his buttons on his very dirty brown shirt. His black pants wouldn't be used the next day, they had never been so dirty before. Dropping his dirty clothes into the bushel basket they kept there, he wrapped a towel around his lower half, waiting for the water to be pleasingly warm. Standing there in only a towel his tanned chest in all it's masculinity baring itself. Taking his towel off he eased his way into the hot water. Taking the soap from the wire holder laid across the tub, he lathered soap over his body, then sank into the still hot water with a sigh of relief. Splashing his face after lathering it with soap, he washed away the black carbon tracks that seemed embedded on his face. Taking the soap once more he lathered it into his hair. Rubbing hard, massaging his head with his fingertips, he lay back with his arms behind his head, as he started feeling the freshness of the relaxing bath. Slowly he sank under the water washing the soap from his hair, and then came back up shaking his head and wiping the water from his eyes and face. He shook his head. Securing his hands on either side of the tub he pushed up and stood up, taking a step from the bath, dripping water over the floor as he did so. Adam reached for a new dry towel on the rack on the back wall of the room. He turned to the vanity unit on the dresser and took his razor and sharpened it on the razor strop. He foamed his face with shaving soap, and took the blade to his three-day beard.

"Not one nick!" Adam smiled to himself as he rubbed his hand over his now smooth face. He smiled at himself in the mirror, and nodded his head as he thought.

"You did a good job, Adam Cartwright!"

Adam pulled out his jeans from the drawers and also a clean white shirt, he reached into the bottom of his wardrobe and pulled out his black boots. Sitting on his bed he pulled them on, and then walking to the bedroom door he threaded his black belt into the loops of his jeans. Brushing his hair he looked into the mirror above the dresser, and he picked up his bottle of cologne, and splashed his face with it. The he went upstairs. He marched towards his father and sat down in his blue chair. Ben sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing in the esmerald green armchair. In spite of his age, Ben was still a handsome guy. His elegant gray suit fit closely round his strong body and his white shirt covered his well endowed torso. He had his own natural elegance, His manly tanned face was enhanced by a tender smile. He waited for his sons to come down and reached his hand to the table in front of him.

"Adam, letter for you."  
Adam quickly took it and tore it open. He started to read and stopped. Adam's face darkened in _anger_ and his _jaw clenched_ as he handed it to Ben, whose face _turned white_ with _shock_ as _he read_.  
"Luis is involved in fraud, theft, purchase and sale of bootleg alcohol and possession of counterfeit money. Elena's husband almost died after having drunk alcohol sold by him. I was expecting till it would be going to _snow_ and we would drink hot _chocolate_ and sitting by the _fireplace_ while we would read some books. Instead of enjoying the simple happiness of our wedding, I'm now alone at home, trying to recollect the fragments of my broken heart. Luis is in jail, oh he surely tried to save his head by telling that he wasn't behind the bar but he is the big boss and he is the one who's ripped people off. He tried to advocate himself, telling me that it was the result of a conspiracy, a plot and a deliberately organized attack on him. Don Luis had tried to advocate for himself. I don't know, what tomorrow will bring, I don't know what I'm gonna do. It's terrible to realize that the man I had married had completely changed, the mask had fallen down. I reached him a judgment of divorce. I'll be able to live with the disgrace of being a divorced senorita, but I won't be able to live with a « bandido!"

"I'm a fool, Pa, I gave him the addresses of our best contacts." Adam exclaimed with anger in his voice.

"Don Miguel gave him his daughter." Ben added trying to ease his son's feeling of guilt.

« It's hard to believe someone, especially when the ones you trusted the most were the ones that betrayed you. » Adam added.

*****A few months later. Ben and his boys arrived home, bringing a giant Christmas Tree to be decorated.

"If you could have one Christmas wish, Pa...what would it be?" Joe asked  
"I don't know to be honest." he replied smiling. « let me think about it. Oh, I know what I would wish for." Ben Cartwright said, removing the snow from the bottom of his pants.  
"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Hoss asked smirking.  
"Grandchildren." Ben replied. That made his sons laugh. They opened the little door of the kitchen and came in, a melodious sound filled their ears. Somebody was playing guitar and was singing. The voice was so sweet and tender, almost like an angel singing.

« Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace »

They walked to the main room. An unexpected guest was sitting on their settee, her voice was so lovely. Adam noticed that his father was smiling, not surprised at all. The singing stopped there and the visitor looked up from the guitar and one wide smile formed on her face upon seeing them. She put the guitar on the settee and stood up. Ben opened his arms.

« Adam, I invited Margarita. After a letter she wrote to me ! »

«Now, that's a surprise ! »

She walked towards them and threw herself into the arms of the four gentlemen of the Ponderosa kissing and hugging them one by one.

« Hop Sing welcomed me, as you weren't yet arrived. And you know what, senor, I took down the luggage, alone. » She smirked, reminding them about the incident, the day she had arrived with her father in Virginia City. She could feel that warm, tender feeling in her heart at the sight of this family who was welcoming her. Adam shared in the memory and invited her to sit down on the settee.

« what a nice surprise, Senorita, a beautiful one, by the way. Your voice is like an angel. »

Margarita blushed at his compliment.

« Thanks. I haven't been singing for so long. It was my favorite Christmas song. My Mother used to sing it to me every Christmas Eve before his death. My dad tried to keep the tradition alive after that- but it just wasn't the same anymore. I'm getting sentimental, especially with what… ». She moved away from them.

«we know that feeling too well », Hoss added.

« Excuse me » she disappeared into the kitchen. Tears came, the anger and sorrow catching up to her at that moment. Adam sighed and followed her. She buried her face in Adam's shoulder, and he held her tightly. "Why did this happen to me... ? » For the past seven months, she'd been struggling to move on from her husband's terrible betrayal and led her life all by her lonesome. She had had very hard time, so it was pure pleasure to be here, surrounded by the Cartwright men, their smile that could light up a whole room.

*****after diner. They were all siting close to the fireplace, enjoying a hot cocoa. The pine tree inside of the house was covered with different decorations. There was a snowflake, a fake acorn, decorative ornaments, , and there, on top of the tree was a silver star.  
*****"Come one everybody Merry Christmas », Little Joe yelled. "You've gotta come. Santa brought soooo many presents." It seemed like his bright smile and twinkle in his eyes were filling the whole room with joy and happiness. A warm feeling suddenly ran through Margarita's body. She felt happy on Christmas day, and it was pure pleasure to have that family to experience her joy with. Ten minutes later the whole Cartwright family was assembled in the living room. Ben was sitting in his red armchair standing right before the fireplace. Margarita reached under the tree and pulled out a fairly large rectangular shaped gift.

" Here, for you, Merry Christmas." Stretching her arms, she handed him the heavy box. I hope you like it".

"For...me?

Hesitantly, he unwrapped the gift. Inside was a guitar made from wood. Eyes wide, he took a look at the instrument, as if not believing that the guitar he had seen the day before on Margarita's lap would be in his hands. He shook his head and he turned his head towards her with a small smile on his face. "Oh my god, thank you SO much. » It was the best Christmas present he have ever had. It was the most thoughtful, heartwarming, and biggest present Adam could ever have gotten.

« I'm glad you like it, Senor » Margarita smiled to him. « I had to do that ». Adam took his guitar and put it on his knee. He passed the strap around his neck and checked that it was well tuned. He smiled and let his right hand go down to the six chords above the round opening carved out of the wood. The movements of his fingers produced a rich and warm sound which made her feel so good, He started singing a slow and drawn-out ballad in a deep throaty voice. Margarita's eyes were filled with longing as she looked at him playing the guitar. She was drinking in each sentence, each line of melodic verse. She was breathing in and out in the same rhythm as the chords he was playing. Her heart was pounding , she could feel each vibration. Adam was making this a magical moment of rare beauty.

*****A few days later. Adam Cartwright was standing in the door frame holding a mug in his hands. "I've got something here to comfort one desperate lovely senorita on New Year's Day!"

"Thank you", she smiled at him and pointed her finger.

"Oh look, Hop Sing pinned mistletoe up in the doorway.!"Smiling, she turned to Adam with a sweet expectant grin on her face. Oh oh, that stuff was dangerous; Adam knew it.  
"Go on, you have to kiss – it's the rules." she teased. Adam hesitated, unsure of whether or not it would be weird if he kissed her, but she looked so pretty standing there in the doorway, smiling back at him, that he decided a little peck on the cheek couldn't hurt anyone.  
"Oh, if you insist," he joked, reaching her and leaning in to kiss her cheek.  
He found that it wasn't weird in the slightest, it was actually more enjoyable than anything else. He even found himself noticing the sweet smell of her hair and the way her soft skin felt against his, and when he pulled away, he was wearing an embarrassed smile.  
"Oh, Adam, you little charmer," said Margarita, but there was no hint of an embarrassed blush on her face. He grinned at her ability to be completely shameless. She turned her back towards the table, where she had put his mug but as she'd been neglecting it long enough, all the marshmallows had melted. Just like her heart as Adam had kissed her. The rest of the day passed very quickly due to the excited atmosphere which had taken residence throughout the entire house.

*****In the evening. He was cute when he slept, Margarita took a seat next to the settee. Adam was sleeping, his book has fallen down on his lap. She took it slowly and put it on the table. Stroking his ebony hair softly, she furrowed her brows. She was sure she would never get to taste the infuriatingly soft lips that were taunting her at this very moment. Quickly, she shook him a bit, ensuring he was fast asleep. "Adam," she called softly. No response. Her heart was beating as fast as humanly possible- she thought she would burst. Slowly, she leaned in, now only a mere inch from his face. She caressed his cheek. She closed her eyes in anticipation.

She was going to kiss Adam. She moved forward, and-

"Mar…. Garita ?"

Adam bright hazel eyes stared at the lovely senorita, now fully and completely awake.

"Adam!"

She was currently hovering less than an inch from Adam's lips, her hands placed beside either side of his head. Margarita stumbled and frantically stood up. "You're awake so soon." Adam gulped. Was Margarita about to- kiss him? Yes, yes, he was sure of it.

« Remember, I have no good Spanish blood », he said, now distracted by the fact that this lovely senorita had just tried to kiss him. He now saw Margarita in a whole new light, noticing little things: how her hair perfectly framed her face, how her face sort of just- _became_ her. Adam couldn't stop blushing as he realized the truth- he wanted to kiss Margarita, and had for a very long time.

"Margarita?"

"Huh?'

"Were you going to kiss me?'

She gulped, and a silence filled the room. Should she lie? No- she could never lie to Adam.

"Yes. You may have no good Spanish blood, but you have gentleman blood, and believe me, it's the most important. "

For a while, all you could hear was the wind blowing in from outside. The room was still, as neither he nor she dared to move. Finally, Adam spoke.

"Good."

Before Margarita had time to react, Adam leap up from the bed and planted his lips onto hers. Margarita's mind raced as she slowly melted into the kiss. Was _this really happening?_ A tear rolled down her cheek as Adam cupped the back of her head.

The two pulled apart. "I love you," Adam whispered.

"I'm glad, you decided to forget about that idea of Spanish blood ! " said Margarita. And already she felt her broken heart would heal and time would do the rest. They exchanged another kiss. The door to the room burst open, and there before them were Ben and Hoss..

« Pa, your wish is about to be fulfilled » Hoss exclaimed, amused. 


End file.
